Too Little Too Late
by Strawberry Raindrops
Summary: Oneshot. SasuSakuNaruHina. "I was young, and in love. I gave you everything, but it wasn't enough. And now you wanna communicate. You know, it's just too little, too late." Regrets and mistakes..


_It's too little, too late._

------

**Oh and the tables are turned. **

_..._

Naruto chuckled a little. It wasn't an amused, cheerful laugh, but rather more of a bitter, ironic laugh - not a laugh that he used much at all.

He smiled bitterly at his untouched ramen. He was never really like this. He thought that the ramen would cheer him up but once he picked up his chopsticks, he couldn't seem to place it into the cup and pop some into his mouth. His stomach was full and for once, the ramen in front of him wasn't mouth-watering or appealing at all. It was more revolting than appealing which was _very _strange coming from the ramen-addicted blond.

Naruto sighed as he pushed back his chair and dumped the ramen into the sink as he crawled into bed instead, without even bothering to turn off the lights or even wash up.

He sat right up and stared out the window where the stars shone brightly and the moon was full and crystal clear in the navy blue sky.

He chuckled that bitter laugh once more as he thought about the situation he was in - it was very much so ironic. He wondered if during his whole life, all he'd be doing was chasing a girl and never receiving love from the girl he loved. He wondered if that was his fate and _what _he did wrong to be tied to such a fate.

He smiled bitterly.

_And so the tables are turned._

**- & -**

_"Is he going to be alright?" Naruto asked worriedly as he jumped out of the seat when Sakura appeared from the doorway._

_The rosette smiled wearily at him and nodded. "Don't worry. He's going to be fine."_

_Naruto breathed out in relief and suddenly, a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He felt great - he felt amazing. He felt like he could run through the whole village, screaming his head off in happiness, and joy! He was just so damn happy. For now, finally, he brought Sasuke back to Konoha - his promise was kept and Sasuke was well alive, and healthy, here in Konoha where he would be strictly watched under ANBU and be able to start over again._

_Naruto smiled._

_"Thank you... Naruto..."_

_The blond lifted his head and saw that his teammate was smiling in full appreciation at him. Her face was filled with happiness and gratitude but her eyes were gleamed with tears and she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down._

_Naruto panicked as he wondered why she was about to cry. Didn't he just fulfill her wish?! Didn't he just--_

_And suddenly, she wrapped her slender, firm arms around him, and pressed her body against his tightly as she sobbed on his shoulder._

_"Thank you... thank you so much... thank you... thank you..."_

_She sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed._

_Naruto smiled sort of bitterly as he patted her back and said, mustering all the joy he could. "You're welcome. Anything for you, Sakura-chan."_

_That only made her cry harder as she mumbled, "All my life... I have... always been so weak a-and... I - I have always and only... b-been leaning on you... s-searching for you for help - I'm sorry, I'm sorry -"_

_"No," he interrupted quickly. "It's fine. You haven't. Sakura-chan, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met. You helped me search for Sasuke and don't be sorry. Sakura-chan, I..."_

_And the words wouldn't come out - the three-worded sentence he had been longing to scream, wouldn't come out._

_He knew why. It was because he knew that Sakura still loved _him. _Why else would she be so thankful? Why else would she mourn so much over him? Naruto wasn't _that _dense. He knew that Sakura loved Sasuke and it didn't take a genius to figure it out. So for her, just for her, he always placed her needs before his and pushed all his goals and selfishness away just for her - just to make her happy. Just to make her smile once more._

**- & -**

"I don't want to talk about it, Ino."

Ino raised an eyebrow as she quickly sat up from her bed and stared at the rosette who was quietly sitting down on the floor, looking out the huge window in Ino's bedroom, staring at the night sky. The moon was full, and the stars twinkled brightly.

"Seriously, Forehead. What's the matter?"

Sakura's eyes dropped to the floor.

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Ino."

"Oh come on. You're acting like a big baby! Tell me what happened. You look seriously depressed."

Sakura shot her blond friend a look that clearly said, _ya-_think_?! _And sighed as she turned back to the window and stared dully out the window, wishing so terribly that time would just stop racing forward and wished that she could go back in time.

Back to when she was the stupid little girl so that she could change the stupid _big _mistakes.

**- & -**

_"Naruto... Naruto, I LOVE YOU_!"

_She sobbed. _

_The tears were just pouring down, slipping down her cheeks as they both stood in stunned silence in the crashing rain._

_The rain was hammering against their backs, soaking their hair into stringy locks and making their clothes cling to their bodies tightly like a second skin._

_Through blurred eyes, she saw his stunned expression which was filled with guilt, agony, horror._

_She shut her eyes._

_**No, no, NO!**_

_She couldn't be too late. She COULDN'T. _

_But deep down, she knew she was. She knew that it was way too late – and she couldn't ever turn it around or fix it. She knew that he would soon walk away from her, and leave her, crying so terribly in the rain and her heart would break – Hell, her heart was _already _breaking for she knew that her confession had come too late. _

_But she was still hopeful. She still clung onto the hopeful thoughts of, 'maybe's. _

_'Maybe he still loves me. Maybe he'll come back to me. Maybemaybemaybe...'_

"_I'm sorry."_

_And those two words seemed to strike her hard as the tears came crashing down, mixing with the rain. She wasn't sure what was the rain and what were her tears anymore. Her breathing quickened and she felt her heart racing, her mind racing._

**No, no, _no_ - ! **

"_You're just too late."_

_She shut her eyes tightly. _

_She knew this would happen. Deep down, she knew that it was too late – way too late._

_She saw the way he looked at _her _now. She saw the way he smiled and laughed and always seemed to be around _her _now. She knew, she knew, SHE KNEW._

**But if only she realized her own feelings sooner.**

_If only._

_And in the rain, through her tears, she saw him leave._

_Leave her crying and crying in the rain._

_Just like, deep down, she knew that would happen._

**- & -**

"Eh? Something bothering you, Hinata?"

Hinata quickly turned to face Kiba who cocked his head to the side and was studying her closely.

She gave him a weary smile as she said, "No. I'm fine."

"You look tired. You can go sleep, I'll keep watch."

"No, it's alright," she said. "I'm not tired at all."

Kiba raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly but she could tell that he didn't believe her. She could tell that he knew that something was wrong but didn't press the matters any further for he knew that she would say something if she wanted to talk about it.

Yes, Kiba knew her _that _well.

Hinata sighed as she lifted her head up at the night sky and smiled a little.

_A full moon, _she thought as she stared at it.

She sighed once more – probably the millionth sigh that evening as she remembered Naruto's face filled with agony, pleading, _pleading, _pleading -

She quickly shook her head.

_Enough, _she told herself sternly.

But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help but feel the guilt she felt in her and the longing – oh if only he told her just a few years earlier.

But he was a few years late.

She sighed as she wondered how this all came to be - how the two of them had suddenly become so close.

**- & -**

"_Naruto-kun?"_

_She blinked as she saw him quickly lift his head up to her and he gave her a weary smile._

"_Oh... hey, Hinata."_

_She smiled pleasantly at him._

_Over the years, she had finally gotten over her crush and had been able to stop stuttering and fainting every time he was around her. She had finally been able to grow confident in her words and actions and now, she was able to talk like a normal person and she was glad. She hated stuttering and fainting like an idiot in front of her crush – it was just so stupid and she knew that Naruto probably thought so too before. Besides, they were eighteen, for heaven's sake! What kind of eighteen-year old still stupidly stuttered and fainted in front of his or her crush... not that Naruto was still her crush or anything.  
_

_Hinata's eyes dropped to the empty seat next to him._

_They weren't that close and they hardly ever talked to each other, but she couldn't help but feel that she wanted to sit next to him and talk casually like a friend would. _

_Following her gaze, he said, "You can sit down."_

_She smiled sheepishly at him as she took a seat next to him and slowly turned to him._

_He looked troubled and deep in thought as he sighed._

"_Something the matter?"_

"_Ah – no, of course not," he quickly said, smiling at her – a fake smile, of course._

_She inwardly rolled her eyes. Did he honestly think that she was going to buy that smile?_

"_Um, I heard Sasuke-san came back," she said, trying to switch the subject for she knew that he probably didn't want to talk about whatever was on his mind if he was going to lie to her like that._

_But the statement only seemed to make him feel gloomier as his face darkened and he said slowly, "Yeah..."_

_She blinked at him and wondered why he was feeling so mellow about Sasuke coming back – wasn't it one of his goals to bring his best friend slash 'brother' slash teammate, back? Wasn't that what he always wanted? It was all he seemed to think about before he brought him back but now, he seemed so depressed he was here as if that goal meant nothing now._

_So she quickly stood up and brought out a hand to him and smiled._

"_Come on," she said._

_He blinked in surprise._

"_Eh?"_

"_I'll take you out to ramen," she said, continuing to smile. "My treat."_

_Immediately, his face brightened as he took her hand._

**- & -**

Sasuke hesitated, his fist just centimeters away from the wooden door.

He sighed as he quickly pulled his hand away and took a step back, shutting his eyes tightly.

_This isn't like me, _he thought. _This isn't like me at all._

He frowned as he clenched his fists and his eyes flickered over to the ANBU guards who were just a few meters away from him. They kept their distance, but they were still close enough to pounce on him if he even dared to take a run for it – not that that was what he had in mind or anything.

He lifted his head towards the night sky and stared blankly at the stars shining and the full moon.

His eyes then flickered over to Sakura's window where he guessed she probably was, except the lights were off even though it was only approximately 8 pm and he highly doubted that she slept so early.

Sasuke caught his breath when the door suddenly opened, and an elderly woman stepped out.

Her eyes widened in surprise seeing the Uchiha at her frontsteps.

She had the same emerald eyes as Sakura but instead of bright bubblegum pink hair, she had a bit light red hair, grayed a little at the front, that stopped in mid-waist.

"Ah – you are Sakura's teammate, aren't you?" she asked.

Sasuke blinked and hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Even months after he came back to Konoha, it was still uncomfortable for him to still be known as part of Team 7 after everything he did – and after everything he did, Naruto and Sakura were willing to let him back him in with open arms.

Taking the long pause as a yes, she continued, "Sakura's not here right now."

His eyes widened in slight surprise.

"She's at Ino's house at the moment – but she should be back soon. Would you like to come inside and wait?"

He hesitated once more before shaking his head.

"That wouldn't be necessary. Thank you anyways," he mumbled.

The woman – he guessed as Sakura's mom – smiled at him as she picked up the evening newspaper and bid him farewell as she closed the door, leaving him in the warm summer night.

He sighed as he wondered when he started to _feel _like this.

**- & -**

_Breathing evenly, he sat there in the hospital room, his eyes slowly moving from the ceiling to the desk next to him and then to the door._

_As if on cue, the door suddenly opened as a certain rosette appeared in the doorway. She stepped in and closed the door behind her as she gave him a small, quiet smile and walked over to his bedside with a clipboard in hand as she stood over him._

_'She grew,' he thought as he noticed how strong and confident she seemed and how tall she became. She didn't seem like the pathetic fangirl of his he knew just a few years ago. No – behind her jade eyes, he could see that she actually had a past this time. He could tell she had seen deaths, consequences and he could tell that as she faced hardships, she grew stronger and matured._

"_How are you feeling?" she asked, pulling out a pen. "Do you have any headaches?"_

"_No," he replied curtly. "I'm well enough to leave."_

_She chuckled a little. "Yeah right. You're still bleeding pretty badly. You won't be leaving here in a few days time."_

_And then she looked like she wanted to say more, but she quickly closed her mouth and suddenly, she seemed troubled and her eyes were filled with worry and panic._

"_What's wrong?" he asked, rather nonchalantly too for he could sound the least bit interested in even a question like that._

"_Nothing," she quickly mumbled._

_Lies._

"_Tell me."_

_Her eyes flickered over to Sasuke worriedly as she pursed her lips then sighed._

"_Well.. you're going to be sent to prison until the Council finally decides what to do with you."_

_A long pause filled the room as he stared at her and wondered _why _she and Naruto still cared about him so much after all he did. He knew that that meant that Council might decide to execute him. He wondered why they were so desperate to have him back and so desperate to be with him. Even back in the old days, he didn't do much with Team 7. He was never the sociable type and never the sacrificial type. He never cared about his teammates too much – never cared about them as _they _cared about _him. _Why did they love him so much? What did he ever do to gain their love and trust? Of course, he knew that they were both still angry at him but they didn't hate him. No, they still loved him. They were still forgiving to him._

_And what did _he _ever do?_

_All he did was betray them, try to kill them whenever they got in his way. All he did was ignore them for his own selfish needs – for his own precious goals to kill Itachi, for his own everything. All he was, was a selfish bastard. _

_He deserved to _die.

_And he knew it... but he wasn't ready to admit it or face the facts.  
_

"_I know."_

_Her eyes widened in surprise as she said, "Sasuke-kun, they might exe-"_

"_I know," he repeated._

_At that, her eyes widened even more._

_For once, he didn't care. He didn't care about anything at all – he wouldn't mind dying. Perhaps dying was better than living in this shitty life, in this shitty world. He couldn't help but sound like a selfish spoiled brat once more. He had so many regrets and made so many mistakes. He didn't deserve anything – didn't deserve anything but to die. _

"_I don't care," he said, voicing his thoughts when he noticed the confused look on the rosette's face. "I don't care if they kill me. Let them."_

_Her eyes fell and her lower lip seemed to tremble a little as she softly said, "Sasuke-kun..."_

_And with that, she fell on her knees and wrapped her arms around him._

_Taken aback by the gesture, he awkwardly sat there, allowing her to hug him._

_And for the first time, Sasuke cared – just a little bit, for this girl. For his ex-teammate, for his _friend.

**- & -**

Naruto knew that in a few days, Hinata would be back from her mission and he was filled with excitement, panic, and dread. He wanted to see her so bad, but he also wanted to hide under a rock and never come out again. The mixed emotions was making his stomach do somersaults as he pondered over whether or not he should greet her at the gateway.

If he _did _greet her, things would be... _very awkward. _They would probably just stare at each other for a while before talking about a light subject - "oh the weather's very nice today" - and the subject of what happened before she left would be left _untouched _until _he _would bring it up.

If he _didn't _greet her, he would simply go crazy with wanting to see her again. After all, ever since that time she took him out to ramen when he was feeling gloomy, he had realized what an interesting and fun person Hinata was to be around. It was only _then _did he realize how much she had grown and how confident she had become and how interesting and fun she was. Ever since then, they had been hanging out more and more so often, soon becoming the best of friends.

But of course, Naruto had to ruin it.

He had to ruin it by falling in love with her.

He groaned at the embarrassing memory of his confession, months after they had been hanging out together more and more so often.

**- & -**

"_Hinata..."_

_Hinata lifted her head and beamed when she saw the blond._

_Her smile melted his heart and it felt strange for him – strange for him to feel this way towards another girl, a girl other than Sakura. He had always thought that his heart would always and only belong to the rosette but after months hanging out with the Hyuuga heiress, he found himself falling in love with her. She was sweet, gentle, kind, fun... She didn't even stutter and faint anymore, thank God even though he _did _think it was kind of cute when she did so a few years ago._

"_Hello Naruto-kun," she greeted as she jumped up from the bench, their usual meeting place. And then a frown replaced that pleasant smile of hers as she studied his face._

_Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he saw her frown. "What's wrong?"_

"_I should be asking _you _that," she said. "You look troubled."_

_'Damn right,' he thought as he gazed at the pearly-eyed girl. 'She looks so beautiful. She's one of a kind..' _

_How could he have not seen her sooner?_

"_Hinata, I... I have to talk to you..." he mumbled. _

_He wondered if she felt the same way. He wondered if she would give him a chance even though he knew that she was out of his league. She _was _afterall a Hyuuga heiress, and who was he? A mere orphan boy, the container of the nine-tailed fox. Yes, she was _way _out of his league._

_But it couldn't hurt to try, wouldn't it? After all, he _was _planning to be Hokage soon._

"_I'm all ears," she said with a smile._

_'This is it,' he told himself as a slight blush formed upon his cheeks._

_He had never confessed to a girl straight-forwardly before. Of course, he had asked girls on dates – or more specifically, a _girl _meaning Sakura. But those dates were just like just for 'friends' and such. And he guessed that going to Ichiraku with Hinata at times _could _be kind of considered as a 'date', but that wasn't the point! This was the first time he was actually going to tell a girl he actually _liked _her. Liked her a lot. More than Sakura. He actually liked a girl more than Sakura for now, Sakura was merely a teammate, a good friend to him._

_He had _finally _moved on._

_He was pretty relieved about it, for he knew – or well, THOUGHT – that Sakura was still in love with Sasuke. But of course, much later, he found out otherwise and realized that she was just a little too late about her confession._

"_Hinata, I..." he swallowed, his blush deepening. "I want you to give me a chance... I – I really like you, Hinata!"_

_The Hyuuga heiress's eyes widened in surprise as she gazed at the blushing blond._

_He peeked at her as he saw her blink a few times as if she couldn't possibly believe what she was seeing, or hearing._

"_Na-Naruto-kun," she stammered, much like how she did when they were younger._

"_Err.." he muttered, not knowing what else to say._

_And then her eyes dropped and she suddenly looked sad – oh, very much so sad. _

_His heart suddenly sank and he wanted to hold her and make her smile again – why was she so sad? He couldn't understand._

"_Naruto-kun... oh, Naruto-kun..." she said quietly, her eyes suddenly gleaming with tears. And he started to panic for he was never too good with women who were crying. "I... I... can't believe this..." And she laughed, but not an amused laugh, more of a bitter laugh which saddened him. He couldn't understand what was the mattere. Had he said something wrong?_

"_You – you know," she said quietly, a bitter smile upon her lips. "I... I used to like you a lot."_

_Naruto's eyes widened at this new confession._

"_It's true.. that was why I was even shyer around you. I was so pathetic back then," she said, smiling at thought of her twelve-year old self. "But... watching you helped me become stronger, and every year, I did. I slowly began to become more confident and stronger, because of you... and, after years of watching you, after years of admiring and liking you, I think – I'm sorry, but I got over you."_

_The words, it hurt so much. _

_How could he have been so blind?! So _dense_?! _

"_I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she said quietly. "But your confession is a bit too late... But I also want to thank you for making me a stronger person."_

_And he didn't know what to say. His heart felt like it was sinking and he felt like he was drowning, dying. _

_He didn't want this to happen... _

_If only... if only he had noticed this kind, kind girl earlier._

_And then she left._

_The next day, when Naruto asked Tsunade where she was, she said that she was on a mission for two weeks with her team._

_Naruto frowned._

_'She didn't even say good-bye,' he thought._

**- & -**

"Um... may I help you?"

Sasuke hesitated as his eyes fell upon Ino's mother who was looking very much so confused as she looked him up and down. He could tell that she knew who he was by the disapproving look she gave him and he could tell that he was very much so _un_welcome into their household. After all, who would want a previous missing-nin who was planning to destroy Konoha, on their doorstep?

But he didn't care – right now, he had to talk to Sakura. He needed to speak to her right away.

"Is... Sakura here?" he asked.

Ino's mother raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Should I call for her for you?"

He nodded hastily as she stepped out of the doorway and hollered for the two to come downstairs for there was a guest waiting for them.

He inwardly sighed for he did _not _want Ino to be there too. He would just somehow snag Sakura secretly for a moment, he decided.

Immediately, Sakura and Ino appeared at the bottom of the staircase and their expressions were filled with shock and confusion when they saw _him _at the doorway. After all, it wasn't everyday when they saw Sasuke Uchiha at their doorstep.

The two girls made their way up to him.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know you even _knew _my address," Ino added, smiling a little.

Sasuke's eyes flickered over to the ANBU who were standing nearby and then to Ino as he desperately wished for them all to disappear so that he could have a few moments alone with Sakura.

"I... need to... talk to you," he muttered to Sakura.

The rosette's eyes widened a little.

"To me?" she asked, as if he was talking to a ghost behind her.

He nodded.

Sakura and Ino exchanged looks before turning back to him.

"Sure," she replied as she stepped out of the house and waved Ino a small farewell before closing the door behind her and turning back to him.

A pregnant pause filled the air as Sasuke's eyes flickered over to the ANBU who were still nearby.

Sakura followed his gaze and told them, "It's alright. I'll take it from here." As if he was a baby.

The two ANBU ninjas exchanged looks before nodding at her as they dematerialized in a poof of smoke.

Suddenly, the air seemed to thicken with tension and suddenly, Sasuke didn't know what to say. He continued to stare at her, anxiously and he felt lost – so confused as if he suddenly woke up from a trance and didn't know what was going on. Yep, that was how Sasuke felt. Suddenly, his mind went blank and his heart was hammering loudly against his chest.

This was unusual for him – he was usually so confident in his decisions and was usually aggressive and assertive and blunt. But for the first time, he didn't know what to say – or how to say it. He was anxious for her response but at the same time, he didn't want to know at all.

"Sakura, I..." he began and his voice just seemed to cut off – his lips were still parted, but the words wouldn't come out anymore.

Her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Something the matter?"

Suddenly, the flashbacks to all the memories he had with her, with her and Naruto, the past few months ever since he came back, flooded him. He remembered how they were so willing and happy to be with him. He remembered their "lectures" when they said that he still wasn't fully forgiven by them but they still loved him. He remembered how she helped him, pulled him out of the darkness he felt for so long just a few weeks ago. He remembered how she held him tightly.

_He remembered the instant he knew that _she _was the one._

He studied for a moment – she wasn't the same silly fangirl and he was half glad, and half sullen about it. He wished that she still loved him that much, was still obsessed with him. Of course, she still _might've _been but there was no proof and he was almost positive that she moved on. After all, it had been _years _and all he did was cause them pain and she wasn't acting all that silly anymore around him.

But he still had to take the risk – he still had to hear the words from herself. He still had to be a hundred and two percent sure so that he could try his best to move on, too. So that he could try his best and _not _fall into another round of regret and not to fall into another round of flashbacks of all his stupid, _stupid _mistakes.

"I... want you to give me another chance," he muttered.

And it was the best he could do. He couldn't tell her that three-lettered word – oh no, he was _not _ready for that kind of commitment – no, not yet. He wasn't used to this feeling – this strange feeling he felt to this girl. He never felt it before but now, he felt it as strong as ever. It was strange.. he thought that love was just useless and he thought that he would never feel it. But here he was, asking a girl out. It was strange because just a few months ago, he was blinded by darkness and was ready to destroy Konoha, but now, he was ready to propose to the girl he loved and rebuild his clan.

_But of course, if only she'd accept._

Her face was filled with shock and... _guilt._

His heart sank even though he expected this.

He knew, of course.

He was ready to walk away. Suddenly, he didn't want to hear her say it anymore. He knew the answer already from her expression.

After all, a demon like him didn't deserve an angel like her. After all, he really didn't deserve her after everything he did to them. After all the pain he caused them, especially to her.

"It's alright," he quickly said, not wanting to hear her apologies.

"No," she quickly said, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. "I... I know how you feel."

He blinked in surprise at her.

She smiled bitterly as she continued, "I... I love Naruto."

The words were surprising, but at the same time, not surprising at all.

"But of course.. I was too late too. He loves Hinata now. I know it. I can tell.. Hinata has grown a lot. She has become a strong woman. I can see why he loves her now.. of course, she didn't ask anything from him. She never leaned on him... she never troubled him like I did. So.. I'm glad he finally moved onto someone who actually deserves him." She continued to smile, but her eyes were sad and dull and she looked like any minute now, she would fall apart.

He was too late, he knew it. And she was too late too.

"And... Naruto was too late too," she said quietly. "Hinata has already moved on."

Sasuke smiled a little bitterly along with her.

_How ironic._

"Doesn't it feel kind of... hollow and lonely to know that the one who loved you so much just a few years ago, doesn't care anymore?" she asked, lifting her head up to him. Tears gleamed her eyes as she asked this.

He didn't say anything and she took the silence as a 'yes.'

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

_She cries so much, _he thought as he wanted so badly to reach out and hold her.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun..." she quietly said.

He winced at the words – the words he never wanted to hear, especially coming from her.

"It's alright," he lied.

And then he turned his heel, ready to get out of here and leave. He couldn't stand seeing her cry.

And besides, he didn't want her to see him cry either.

**- & -**

_**Fifteen years later...**_

"Mommy, Mommy, let's get this!"

Hinata lifted her eyes away from the grocery list to see a tiny boy lifting up a box of cookies.

She raised an eyebrow disapprovingly at the boy. "Satoru, you already _have _that and you didn't even finish half of it yet."

He pouted innocently at his mother and she shook her head, no, as she told him to go put it back on the shelf as she looked back at the grocery list.

_Rice, check._

_Eggs, check._

_Milk... hm, nope. Still need to get milk._

She sighed as she pushed the cart and called Satoru to hurry up and he did as he trotted behind his mother happily, eyeing every sweet longingly but didn't dare even take one for he knew that his mother would disapprove highly of his high-calorie eating habits. "They'll rot your teeth! You already have so much sweets at home!" she'd say.

As they made their way to the dairy products, Hinata skimmed her eyes over the different milk cartons before hearing her name sounded by someone strangely familiar.

Lifting her gaze off the cartons, she was surprised to see _Sakura _standing there, right next to her, with a little baby with no hair yet in her arms. The baby looked just like her – with large jade eyes. Sakura's face stretched into a smile when she saw that it _was, _after all, _Hinata._

"Hinata! Oh my God, it's you," she said, grinning.

Hinata smiled back. "Hello Sakura-san."

The reason Sakura was so surprised to see her in the grocery shop was because Hinata was hardly ever in Konoha ever since marrying him. She was always somewhere in Suna with her husband and son for her husband had been invited to this research job in Suna and she agreed to go along with him. The research was supposed to go on for several years, so they decided to just reside there for the time being. But this time, she was back in Konoha for a short period of time just for visiting purposes and so that she could show her son Konoha, the place of his mother's birth.

"I never knew you came back," Sakura continued, beaming.

"Oh, well.. I just came back to visit Konoha and I also wanted to show Satoru where his mommy was born," Hinata said with a smile as she turned to the little boy who was shyly gazing up at the rosette. "Come on and say hello, Satoru. This is my friend here, Sakura."

"Hey Satoru," Sakura said, grinning widely at the boy.

"H-hi.." he muttered, barely audibly.

Hinata smiled at Sakura as she said, "He's extremely shy until you get to know him."

_Ahh, _Sakura mouthed.

Hinata smirked as she said, "So who's that cute little baby in your arms?"

Sakura blinked in surprise and grinned as she turned to her baby proudly who was currently sucking on his thumb. "Oh, this is Hiroki."

Hinata smirked more. "I see you and Naruto have finally worked things out."

Sakura grinned and chuckled. "Ahaha.. yeah..."

Sakura continued to smile as she finally said, "So how have you and Sasuke-kun been doing?"

"Mmm," Hinata said. "We've been doing great. He's starting to open up a lot more, and he's doing a great job in Suna and all.. the ninjas there are really impressed. I'm glad that he's becoming more open and happier." She smiled a little at the thought.

"That's great," Sakura said. "Man, I really missed you – and I miss Sasuke-kun too.. But I'm glad that you guys are doing great in Suna."

"Mm," Hinata agreed. "How are you and Naruto doing? I heard that Naruto is going to be hokage soon."

Sakura beamed proudly and nodded. "Yup! We're both really excited."

"That's great. Congratulations," Hinata congratulated.

"Thanks."

A short pause filled the two of them.

"You should come over," Sakura suddenly offered. "It'd be great! Naruto would be so excited to see you again."

Hinata smiled politely at her. "That would be wonderful, but..."

She couldn't seem to think of the right words to say. Ever since that small confession he had made just fifteen years ago, they had grown distant again as she stumbled upon Sasuke and became closer to the stoic boy and softened his cold, hard heart.

"...we're leaving tonight," Hinata finally finished.

"Oh." Her face dropped in disappointment. "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

She nodded.

"Well, I hope to see you soon again," Sakura said, with a small smile.

Hinata nodded once more.

They both exchanged hugs and they were both on their ways again.

Hinata smiled a little as they both separated ways. She was still in a dream-like trance until -

"Mommy, how about _this_?" Satoru asked, pointing to the bag of candy on the shelf.

Hinata smiled at her little boy.

Of course, things hadn't worked out exactly the way as planned when she was younger but seeing her son, and thinking about her husband made her realize that just because things didn't work out the way she thought it would, maybe that it was better like this.

_Yes, _she thought. _Things are much better like this._

And as she thought about Naruto and Sakura, she silently congratulated them.

_Because maybe, maybe it was _never too late _sometimes._

------

_It's not too late, it's never too late._

_

* * *

_**A/N: **I am disappointed in how this came out. ): And I'm sorry for writing this when I _should _be writing my other stories, buuuut plot bunnies seriously bug me alot! Sigh.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned, Naruto, I wouldn't even _be _here in . AHEEEM. See the _fan_? Yeah. Oh and I don't own the song, "Too Little, Too Late" by Jojo and nor do I own the song, "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace!


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